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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2024)
(,*+7+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQWednesday, February 7, 2024 Recall meeting wrap up in Irrigon -Continued from PAGE ONE questioned why the county down to it, it is the County ing regarding the nitrates wanted to see the contracts ed by claiming that there sioners are here to serve the people and we deserve the same ambulance service we have had. I encourage you to think about the people you serve, slow down your SURFHVV GHYHORS WKH$6$ plan, possibly add multiple providers and do it right the ¿UVWWLPH,EHOLHYHLW¶VYHU\ clear that you want there to be or you are being pres- sured to have multiple pro- viders, whatever, we don’t care, we are talking about right now, this moment, we need you to do what’s best for over 12,000 residents, not the few who want to block MCHD. You claim to EH DQ H[FHOOHQW QHJRWLDWRU RI FRQWUDFWV IRU H[DPSOH Amazon. Get around the table with the health dis- trict, negotiate the details, and sign the contract. Let Morrow County residents have less to worry about.” 6WLFNLQJ ZLWK WKH LV- VXHRIWUDQVSDUHQF\6WXDUW Dick said that there is not enough dialogue at the commissioner meeting and wanted it to be like the pre- vious commissioner meet- ing where he said they let people talk back and forth with commissioners during the meetings. New Circuit Court Building Site 6WXDUW DVNHG ZKR ZDV on the committee that estab- OLVKHGWKHSODFHQH[WWRWKH rodeo grounds. He asked if parking had been secured for the new building. 6\NHV H[SODLQHG WKDW the process was all in open and documented in the min- utes. He said it began when Circuit Court Judge Hill DSSURDFKHG XV H[SUHVVLQJ that the current courthouse is unacceptable. He said Judge Hill highlighted the lack of security and insuf- ficient room space, em- phasizing that this concern had been raised for quite VRPH WLPH 6\NHV VDLG KH researched the problems with the old courthouse and began working towards se- curing a new location since Judge Hill had suggested an alternative by removing the circuit court from Heppner and combining it with the RQH LQ +HUPLVWRQ 6\NHV VDLG KH ZHQW WR 6DOHP WHVWL¿HG DQG VXFFHVVIXOO\ obtained funding for half of the project. Additionally, 6\NHVVDLGWKH\DSSURDFKHG the City of Heppner and asked for potential sites, resulting in the provision of nine options. After an open meeting, they collectively selected four sites and vot- ed to hire an architectural ¿UP WR HYDOXDWH WKHP$Q H[HFXWLYHVHVVLRQZDVKHOG to discuss one of the private properties, as they wanted to keep this information FRQ¿GHQWLDO WR SURWHFW WKH use of county funds. 6\NHV PHQWLRQHG WKDW the project manager is cur- rently working on develop- ing the plans for the build- ing. However, he acknowl- edged that the number of parking spots required for the facility has not yet been determined. To gather this LQIRUPDWLRQ 6\NHV VRXJKW DVVLVWDQFH IURP 6WHSKHQ DQ H[SHUW LQ PDSSLQJ DQG a member of the Planning &RPPLVVLRQ8VLQJDFRXQ- W\GURQH6WHSKHQWRRNDHUL- al pictures of the site during SHDNKRXUVVSHFL¿FDOO\WKH IDLUDQGURGHRRQD6DWXUGD\ afternoon. These images will enable architects and planners to accurately count the available parking spaces and assess any potential shortfall. Wages 6WXDUW VDLG KH KDV changed his mind about salaries and said he has seen how hard the commis- sioners have worked and he knows how hard he has ZRUNHGDQGLW¶VH[KDXVWLQJ DQG VDLG KH LV EDFNLQJ R൵ on that one. He does want to see the commissioners VHWDQR൶FHWLPHVRSHRSOH can meet with them. He also QHHGHG IRU WZR administrators. Back to ASA Mellissa on Zoom posed a question regarding whether the commissioners admitted to dividing the service between Boardman Fire and Morrow County Health District. Commissioner Drago responded by stating that he was unaware of the accu- sation’s origin and insisted that they had not selected DQ\RQHIRUDQ\$6$ZLWKLQ the county. He emphasized that they have no prede- termined notions about who will be chosen for the $6$2QFHWKH$6$LVHV- tablished, anyone interested can apply for it. Drago said Morrow County Health 'LVWULFWWRRND¿UPVWDQFH stating that if they don’t receive the entire service area, they don’t want any part of it and said he found this confusing seeing that having more ambulances in the service area would EHEHQH¿FLDO Drago announced that there will be five open town hall meetings. During these meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, and the commissioner and his team will do their best to pro- vide answers and engage in discussion. Drago also H[SODLQHG WKDW WKH &RXQW\ Administrator Matt Jensen was not present at the meet- ing this time due to a threat of a lawsuit that prevented him from attending. Murray took to the mic again and asked how is Irrigon’s Fire supposed to grow when Boardman )LUH ZDQWHG WR DQQH[ WKH Columbia Development Authority (CDA) and all the growth in the CDA, doesn’t the 4 billion dollars from the Port of Morrow cover most of the costs? Boardman Fire wants the CDA because it is an area where more development LVH[SHFWHGWRKDSSHQ:KR is the CDA rep from the county, Murray asked the FRPPLVVLRQHUV 6RPHRQH LQWKHFURZGDQVZHUHG-H൵ Wenholz) When did his committee vote to send out a Request for Proposal 5)3 IRUDPEXODQFHRU¿UH services in that area? I un- derstand this is a CDA-re- lated question and you may not have all the details, but your representative should know. Where is the legal RFP for services in the CDA? And why does Boardman Fire believe WKH\FDQH[SDQGWKHLUDP- bulance services and take RYHU WD[LQJ GLVWULFWV IRU ¿UH VHUYLFHV" 0XUUD\ VDLG these kinds of questions raise concerns about the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. 6\NHV 5HVSRQGHG WR Murray and said the CDA and the county commis- sioners are two separate entities. We do not have control over the CDA, and they do not control us. They hold their own meetings and have their own boards. These are two distinct en- tities. 0XUUD\ H[SODLQHG UH- garding the issue of the %RDUGPDQ)LUHH[WHQVLRQRI the service district to cover the CDA, it is ultimately the County Commission’s responsibility to decide. I asked Administrator Jensen about it, and he said that the commissioners will address LW RQFH WKH$6$ LVVXH LV resolved. Murray said the power and responsibility lie with the County Commis- sion in making decisions like these. Murray continued, ac- knowledging that these matters often happen behind the scenes. The County Commission holds substantial power and re- sponsibility. I have learned to appreciate the position they are in a lot of the time. However, when it comes Commission that has the authority. 6\NHV VDLG WKH UHDVRQ why this issue hasn’t been discussed openly is be- cause we have not reached that point yet. It will come before the County Com- mission for discussion and consideration. We will bring it to the agenda when it is ready and have all the necessary information. 6\NHVVDLGZHFDQQRWSUR- vide answers and make decisions before thoroughly discussing and considering the matter. Demanding im- mediate answers without having all the facts in front of us is not a reasonable approach. We need to have a clear understanding of WKH$6$VWUXFWXUHDQGKDYH proper discussions before making any decisions. The CDA has not even been discussed yet, so it is not fair to demand an answer at this stage. Teresa (Tess) Rehak, a Morrow County resi- dent stepped forward to address a question that had been raised by a previous speaker regarding who had authorized the county to seek temporary ambulance services in the interim if the county does discontinue ambulance service. Tess asserted that the state had provided authorization for this action, and she em- phasized that the Health District was well aware of this fact as it was clearly stated in the Oregon Re- YLVHG6WDWXWHV 256 7HVV H[SUHVVHG IUXVWUDWLRQ ZLWK the misinformation that was EHLQJ VSUHDG DQG FODUL¿HG that nobody had mentioned the county purchasing am- bulances, in response to a statement made by Coun- ty Administrator Jensen claiming to have secured ambulances. According to Tess, Jensen had fol- ORZHGVWDWHODZE\¿QGLQJ a suitable alternative and securing the ambulances. 6KH IXUWKHU H[SODLQHG WKDW this action was necessary because the health district had decided to terminate ambulance services after the levy - which had been proposed and passed to en- sure ambulance availability - was approved by voters. Amazon tax abatement 6WXDUW 'LFN UHWXUQHG to inform the crowd that we can secure better deals from Amazon. The Morrow County Commissioner re- cently approved a package RI WD[ LQFHQWLYHV IRU ILYH additional Amazon data centers in eastern Oregon However, he was concerned about the limited employ- ment opportunities they SURYLGHDQGWKHVLJQL¿FDQW increase in power consump- tion, equivalent to powering 200,000 homes. The main reason Amazon is coming KHUHLVGXHWRWKHWD[EHQH- ¿WVWKH\DUHUHFHLYLQJ Dick said the com- missioners have limited H[SHUWLVH LQ QHJRWLDWLQJ such deals compared to Amazon, one of the biggest companies in the world. He claimed other counties, like Wasco, have reduced prop- HUW\ WD[HV E\ KDOI WKURXJK their agreements with Ama- zon and Google. In contrast, we are granting Amazon DQ WD[ DEDWHPHQW which raises questions about where this money ultimately goes and leads to disputes in the county. 6WXDUW VDLG WKDW ZH VKRXOG KDOW DQ\ QHZ WD[ abatement for Amazon un- til our county develops WKH QHFHVVDU\ H[SHUWLVH courage, and integrity to negotiate better deals. We should not forget that Am- azon needs us more than we need them, as they rely on our electricity and infra- structure. Nitrates 5D\$NHUV VSRNH H[- pressing his frustration that none of the commissioners attended their group meet- in the groundwater. How- ever, he acknowledged that Commissioner Drago and 6\NHV KDG DWWHQGHG VRPH previous meetings but have now discontinued their par- ticipation. Akers said nitrate pol- lution is his passion area and doesn’t care about the courthouse and all the other “bullsh*t” that goes along with it. He commended what John Murray and Kel- ly Doherty have been doing at the Port. There is an urgent and pressing issue at hand re- garding nitrogen pollution that must be addressed. Ak- ers stressed the importance of receiving support from FRXQW\ R൶FLDOV DQG FRP- PXQLW\ PHPEHUV WR H൵HF- tively tackle this problem. $NHUV H[SUHVVHG GLV- appointment in hearing about the supposed “great things” the commissioners have done, as they have had QRVLJQL¿FDQWLPSDFW%RWK the state and the continuous dumping practices have failed the community. He stated that this dumping is nothing short of reckless and harmful. It serves no EHQH¿FLDOSXUSRVHDQGRQO\ leads to the contamination of our soil and, consequent- ly, our wells. Akers de- clared that we can no longer ignore this issue and must take action at every level. 6\NHV UHVSRQGHG WR Akers by saying, “It’s in- teresting. These two gen- tlemen want me recalled,” as he pointed at Akers and Dick. “They held a meet- ing to generate support for a recall, and now he’s blaming the nitrate issue on the County Commission- ers. Man Roy, (referring to the other county com- missioner in the audience) we must be so powerful if we can supposedly pollute WKH JURXQGZDWHU´ 6\NHV gestured towards Akers and continued, “He sits there and asks us to list all the great things we’ve done. Well, I can tell you what we’ve accomplished. We have provided fresh water. I even instructed departments to come up with a list of our contributions. We dedicated 5,000 man-hours and over RI \RXU PRQH\ to address the issue. We KDYHVHFXUHGDPLOOLRQ federal grant. The problem is, when I took office, I realized the severity of the nitrate issue. The county didn’t cause it, but I made it a priority to identify and solve the problem.” 6\NHVVDLGWKHVHSURE- lems encompass various DVSHFWV RI /8%*0$ DQG VSHFL¿FDOO\PHQWLRQHGWKDW out of the total 4,700 wells, 20% are located in Morrow County, while the remain- ing wells are situated in 8PDWLOOD &RXQW\ ,Q RUGHU to tackle these challenges head-on, the federal gov- ernment, in conjunction ZLWK6HQDWRUV0HUNOH\DQG Wyden, has allocated fund- ing of 1.7 million dollars to ERWK FRXQWLHV 6\NHV DOVR DFNQRZOHGJHGWKHH൵RUWVRI Tamara Mabbit, the planner who is working towards resolving the issues. Fur- thermore, there are plans to enlist the services of a reputable water company to conduct a thorough assess- ment of the situation and provide a comprehensive overview of the problem. 6\NHV VDLG HYHU\ WLPH Wyden and Merkley came, I’d say, okay, are you going to do the lifting on this? Are you guys going to be with us? Each time they always said, we’re going to be with Morrow County. Akers again came to the mic and claimed that the PLOOLRQ ZDV VHFXUHG by former County Com- missioner Mellisa Lindsay and County Planner Tamra Mabbott. Akers claimed that the three current county commissioners could stop it and stop it tomorrow and with the Port of Morrow. John Murray, who was elected to the Port of Morrow Board last year, addressed the issue of wa- ter disposal and the Port’s responsibility. In his opin- ion, the Port has not done enough in the last ten years to address this issue. Mur- ray believes that the coun- ty should assist citizens until a resolution is found. The Port acknowledges the problem and has been work- ing in collaboration with the DEQ and EPA to develop a plan for better water treat- ment. To fund this proj- ect, the Port has borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars. Murray posed the question of whether they should shut down the Port and cease water operations but answered it himself by saying that it is not a viable option. The Port Commis- sion has chosen to continue with its plan in partnership with the DEQ. Murray said they have outlined a plan to eliminate nitrates from wastewater by mid-2025. However, he emphasized that this process cannot be instant and will require the FRQVWUXFWLRQ RI H[SHQVLYH ponds and treatment cen- ters. He understands the frustration of the commu- nity but emphasizes that shutting down businesses is not a feasible solution. While efforts have been made to mitigate the ni- trates in well water, even with perfectly clean water, there may still be residual H൵HFWVGXULQJZLQWHUZKHQ the water is applied to the soil. Despite the costs in- volved, Murray stresses that the Port’s primary concern LV IXO¿OOLQJ LWV REOLJDWLRQV and ensuring the well-being of the community. Dick wanted to discuss the issue further and refer- enced two individuals, John Murray and Kelly Doherty, who are both board mem- bers of the Port of Morrow. According to Dick, these individuals, like the county commissioners, inherited a problem. Dick then shifted his focus to Oregon House 5HSUHVHQWDWLYH*UHJ6PLWK KLJKOLJKWLQJ6PLWK¶VUROHRQ the budget board and his oversight of funding for the DEQ. According to Dick, it has been documented that 6PLWKHQVXUHGWKDWWKH'(4 GLGQRWLPSRVH¿QHVRQWKH 3RUW 6WXDUW DUJXHG WKDW LI action had been taken seven years ago, the issue would have been resolved by now. +H H[SUHVVHG IUXVWUDWLRQ that the Port seemed uncon- cerned about the harmful effects of their actions, such as “pouring out the poison” and making deals with Amazon for their own EHQH¿W6WXDUWEHOLHYHGWKDW this situation should have been addressed years ago, and he vowed to bring forth evidence to demonstrate ZK\ *UHJ 6PLWK XVHG KLV position to protect the Port. 6WXDUW DOVR PHQWLRQHG WKDW 6PLWKUHFHLYHVD annual salary from the Port, implying a potential con- ÀLFWRILQWHUHVW+HFRQFOXG- was a significant amount of corruption and unethical practices within the politi- cal realm. Commissioner Drago, ZKR LV DOVR RQ WKH /8%- GMA board, came up and listed the contribution to the water issue from last year. The water provided ZDV RYHU ILOWHUV SXUFKDVHG DSSUR[LPDWHO\ DQG ¿OWHU LQVWDO- ODWLRQ 2XWVLGH funding for that comes from Business Oregon, Business FRDOLWLRQDQG6WDWHRI2UH- gon miscellaneous revenue. Drago asked Akers what he thought the solu- tion would be. Askers said, let’s have some of these industries that are putting nitrate in the groundwater step to the plate, don’t just leave it all on the Port. There are things businesses can do internally to reduce ni- trates. Akers said I am not about shutting down every industry in Boardman, that would be a lot of jobs, and its political suicide. But we can do things that are better for the community. He claimed that the nitrate numbers in the wells con- tinue to increase. Akers also claimed there is a lawsuit WKDW LV JHWWLQJ ¿OHG LQ WKH QH[WIHZGD\V Drago stated that the problem of nitrate contam- ination has been a persistent issue for quite some time, long before the Port and industry in Boardman. As early as 1954, a well in WKH /RZHU 8PDWLOOD %DVLQ Groundwater Management $UHD /8%*0$ VKRZHG nitrate levels of 57 parts per million. (According to the Environmental Protection $JHQF\ (3$ WKH PD[- imum contaminant level for nitrates is 10 parts per PLOOLRQ ([SRVXUH EHORZ WKHVHOHYHOVLVQRWH[SHFWHG WR FDXVH VLJQL¿FDQW KHDOWK problems, and all public water supplies must adhere to these regulations. It’s not a new issue and it’s been here forever. Drago again asked what to do and said he didn’t know what the right solution is and there isn’t one right solution. There are lots of things that need to be done. We are working at it, and we want WRJHWLWULJKWWKH¿UVWWLPH MXVWOLNHWKH$6$:HFDQ¶W make any business do any- thing, the DEQ is in charge of that, and issues permits. ,W LV D YHU\ FRPSOH[ LVVXH and will take time. There was a vote taken at the end of the meeting to recall the commissioner and it went 8 votes No and 6 yes. There were additional speakers and members of the community who at- tended the recall meeting, and further information is available from the event. The entire meeting was recorded on video. The final meeting took place on Tuesday, February 6th in Boardman. If any new or important updates arise, the Heppner Gazette will provide coverage of it. ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAY 5:00 P.M. Lunch & Dinner Menu Specials 2/8 - 2/14 Thursday - Mini tacos, chips, refried beans, and rice. Friday - Chicken & Wild Rice soup and a JULOOHGWXUNH\ 6ZLVV Saturday - Broccoli Cheese with grilled ham & cheese Sunday 2SHQIRU6XSHU%RZOSP Monday - Chicken plus with baked beans Tuesday - Chili burger with jojos Tuesday NighWSPKDUGVKHOOWDFRV Wednesday &KLFNHQ'XPSOLQJ6RXS VDODG
